If a specific location has been hit, throw 1D. If the result is 6, apply a GENERAL SYSTEMS malfunction; otherwise roll on the appropriate area table. If there is overall damage more general stress on the equipment, throw 1D on the location table and d100 on the subtable. Then throw 1D for severity.

THROW

LOCATION

THROW

SUBLOCATION

HEAD

01-22

Helmet puncture

23-44

Visor breach

45-67

Visor display failure

68-89

Commo peripheral failure

90-00

GENERAL SYSTEMS

CHEST & LOWER TORSO

01-15

Puncture

16-30

Power pack

31-46

Life support

47-61

Weapon link

62-77

Sanitary facilities

78-92

Add-on

93-00

GENERAL SYSTEMS

ARMS

01-18

Puncture

19-36

Built-in weaponry

37-54

Control panel

55-73

Snap-on pockets

74-91

Joint failure

92-00

GENERAL SYSTEMS

LEGS

01-28

Puncture

29-57

Snap-on pockets

58-86

Joint failure

88-00

GENERAL SYSTEMS

5-6

GENERAL SYSTEMS

01-14

Servo failure

15-28

Software

29-42

IR cloaking

43-57

Communications Breakdown

58-71

Chæmeleon surface

72-85

Standard gait

86-00

Heat exchanger

HEAD

Helmet puncture - A breach has appeared in the body of the helmet. A hole can usually be fixed with Vacc/Battledress patches (if they are available !); the wearer takes Decompression damage from the third round after the breach until the repair is made. Full repairs are a workshop job; Difficult, Battledress, (Average: Mechanical, Electronic), 1 hour, appropriate spares and a full toolkit. Of course, if the wearer is in a normal-atmosphere environment, the damage does not occur, none of these tasks are Fateful and Cautious repairs may be attempted.

[1-2] Minor hole, patch on Routine, Battledress OR Vacc Suit, Dexterity, 10 seconds, Fateful.

[3-4] Major hole, requires Difficult, Battledress OR Vacc, Dexterity, 20 seconds, Fateful to patch.

[5] Enormous hole, one try only allowed at Difficult, Battledress OR Vacc, Dexterity, 20 seconds, Fateful; if this fails, treat as Catastrophic below.

[6] Catastrophic, helmet has collapsed and is effectively destroyed. Start taking decompression damage immediately. Victim must reach pressurised area or replacement helmet to regain atmosphere. No repairs possible.

Visor Breach - The helmet's visor has been breached. Field repairs are not possible (try putting a patch over your eyes and firing a rifle !). All visual sensory enhancements are lost, including targeting for linked weaponry. If in a decompressed environment, treat as Helmet Puncture, Catastrophic. No severity applies. Full repairs require a workshop, Difficult, Battledress, (Average: Mechanical, Electronic), 1 hour, appropriate spares and a full toolkit.

Visor display failure - The helmet's sensory enhancement options have developed a fault. Select from: InfraRed, Light Enhancement, Binox (if fitted), Near Miss indicator, Remote Viewing facility. Note that if the enhancement is off at the time it may be a while before the wearer notices.

[1] The enhancement goes off-line and stops operating. Simple, Battledress, Intelligence, 10 seconds to spot the problem and get it going again.

[2] Intermittent - The enhancement flips on and off - loose connection. Routine, Battledress, Electronics OR Sensor Operator, 20 seconds to find and rectify.

[3] Duff info - The enhancement starts creating random images which are not really there; a sort of electronic hallucination. Wearer may perceive things that are not really there, or have invisibility conferred on existing objects from his point of view. Routine, Sensor Operator, Intelligence to spot the problem and Difficult, Battledress, Electronics OR Sensor Operator, 5 minutes to repair.

[4] Failure - Enhancement fails completely. Repair is a workshop job, requiring Difficult, Battledress, Sensor Operator, (Average: Mechanical, Electronic), 1 hour, appropriate spares and a full toolkit.

[5] Blackout - Enhancement goes on uncontrollably. Data floods the visor display, completely obscuring normal vision. If LI is the victim, eye damage may result. The enhancement can be turned off on Difficult, Battledress, Electronic, 30 seconds (remember the wearer is working blind !); if this fails, the helmet must be removed or the visor opened to restore vision. Full repair is a workshop job, requiring Difficult, Battledress, Sensor Operator, (Average: Mechanical, Electronic), 1 hour, appropriate spares and a full toolkit.

[6] Catastrophic - Total failure of all sensor enhancement. Treat as Blackout above, but there is no chance of field repairs. The visor is burned out and must be replaced. Workshop repairs require Difficult, Battledress, Sensor Operator, (Average: Mechanical, Electronic), 1 hour, appropriate spares (ie a new visor) and a full toolkit.

Communication Peripheral Failure Part of the helmet's communication equipment has failed. This does not mean anything is wrong with the actual commo equipment of the suit, although the wearer may not be aware of this.

[1-2] One helmet speaker has failed; the other is enough unless aural sensor enhancements are being used for stereo direction finding. Field repair on Routine, Electronic, Dexterity, 2 minutes.

[3-4] Helmet microphone fails. The wearer cannot send communications out. Field repairs on Field repair on Routine, Electronic, Dexterity, 2 minutes.

[5-6] Helmet communications controller fails. All commo is out. Field repair may be made if severity was 5 on Difficult, Electronic, Commo, 10 minutes.

General Systems See GENERAL SYSTEMS location table.

CHEST AND LOWER TORSO

Puncture The atmospheric integrity of the suit has been punctured beyond the ability of the self-seal to close up the hole. If in atmosphere, ignore damage but note the breach for the next time the character goes outside ! Workshop repairs require Routine, Battledress, Mechanical, 20 minutes.

[1-2] Minor hole, patch on Routine, Battledress OR Vacc Suit, Dexterity, 10 seconds, Fateful.

[3-4] Major hole, requires Difficult, Battledress OR Vacc, Dexterity, 20 seconds, Fateful to patch.

[5] Enormous hole, one try only allowed at Difficult, Battledress OR Vacc, Dexterity, 20 seconds, Fateful; if this fails, treat as Catastrophic below.

[6] Catastrophic, hole is too large to patch and sealed environment is lost. Start taking decompression damage immediately. Victim must reach pressurised area or replacement suit to regain atmosphere. No repairs possible to damaged area; replacement module must be obtained.

Power Pack The back-mounted battery pack provides the power required for the armour to operate. It is shielded and armoured, but does occasionally cause trouble.

[1-2] Minor power drop. Strength enhancement drops to x2. Field repair on Routine, Battledress, Electronic, 2 minutes, but the suit must be powered down to remove the battery pack. This means that the arm armour must be removed in order to work.

[3] Major power drop. Sufficient power is lost that only the very basics (ie life support and un-enhanced movement) may operate. Field repair (subject to above conditions) on Routine, Battledress, Electronic, 10 minutes.

[4] Pack discharged. All power is lost from the pack. No powered feature of the armour may operate, although the wearer may move - just - if their Strength is A+. Normally, there is nothing actually wrong with the pack and it just requires recharging - or replacing with a spare, if the wearer is carrying one.

[5] Short circuit. As Pack Discharged above, all power is discharged from the pack, except that it discharges through the mylar body net, causing severe electrical shocks to the wearer. Throw 4D of overall damage; wearer must throw Difficult, Strength, Endurance, Instantaneous to remain conscious. This malfunction is usually accompanied by a large shower of bright sparks and a smell of cooking.

[6] Catastrophic power surge. The pack's voltage regulator fails, sending too much power to the suit's systems and operator. The effects listed above for Short Circuit apply, and all of the suit's powered systems are burned out and fail - replacement is required. The battledress is effectively destroyed as powered armour.

Life Support System Failure - The suit's built-in LS system develop a fault. The severity of these faults depends on whether the wearer is in a pressurised environment or not. If in atmosphere, ignore damage but note the failure for the next time the character goes outside ! Workshop repairs require Routine, Battledress, Electronic, 20 minutes.

[1] Smelly air. The air purifier is failing to remove the smell of the operator's body from the air. After a while, this will build up to an unpleasant level. Routine, Battledress, Electronic, 1 minute to adjust.

[2] Gas mix failure. The mixture is not quite right, although not harmful. Example: air is high in Helium and wearer starts to talk like Mickey Mouse. Routine, Battledress, Electronic, 1 minute to adjust.

[3] Excess oxygen. The purifier starts to increase the O₂ level. The wearer becomes exhilarated and slightly reckless, but later progresses to delirium and unconsciousness. Throw Routine, Battledress OR Vacc Suit OR Medical, Intelligence, instantaneous to note the effects within the first two rounds (becomes Difficult after that) and Routine, Battledress, Electronic, 1 minute to adjust.

[4] Thin air. There is not enough O₂ in the atmosphere. The wearer becomes lethargic and stupid. Throw Routine, Battledress OR Vacc Suit OR Medical, Intelligence, instantaneous to note the effects within the first two rounds (becomes Difficult after that) and Routine, Battledress, Electronic, 1 minute to adjust. If the wearer does not notice the problem before three rounds have elapsed, not only does the task to observe the problem become Difficult, but the wearer must throw Routine, Endurance, Strength to stay awake each round or slip into an anoxia coma. [5] Purifier fails. The air purifier fails, and the wearer has only the oxygen enclosed in his suit to breathe. This will last for about 15 minutes, during the last five of which the wearer must throw Routine, Endurance, Strength to stay awake each round or slip into an anoxia coma. An external air purifier may be attached to replace the suit's own unit; any standard PLSS will do. Throw Difficult, Battledress OR Vacc Suit, Electronic, 1 minute to restart the purifier.

[6] Poisonous mixture. The purifier starts to replace the suit's atmosphere with a poisonous gas mix. Throw Routine, Battledress OR Vacc Suit OR Medical, Intelligence, instantaneous to note the effects within the first two rounds (becomes Difficult after that) and Difficult, Battledress, Electronic, 1 minute to adjust. If the wearer does not notice the problem before three rounds have elapsed, not only does the task to observe the problem become Difficult, but the wearer must throw Routine, Endurance, Strength to stay awake each round or slip into an anoxia coma. Each round after the third, the wearer must also throw Routine, Endurance to avoid taking 2D damage.

Weapon link - the suit's built-in link to certain weapons has developed a fault. Normally this applies to high-energy weapons, but if a different weapon (such as a Gauss rifle) has been modified to use the Rifle Link battledress add-on, this will also qualify for this malfunction.

[1] Targeting unit miscalibrated. The cross-hairs do not point at the weapon's impact point, and the wearer will not be able to hit what he aims at. If he persists in shooting, the referee must determine randomly what he does hit. Calibrating sights is a complex business; it requires a firing range rated for the weapon and a throw on Routine, (Weapon Skill), Dexterity, 10 minutes.

[2] Targeting unit broken. The sighting marks and rangefinder do not appear at all on the visor. The weapon may be fired, but without any particular accuracy. Perversely, the firer may find it easier to compensate than if the hairs are misaligned, because a crude sight can be taken along the weapon's barrel. Repairing the sights requires a throw of Difficult, Electronic, Intelligence, 5 minutes; they then must be recalibrated (see above).

[3] Safety unit override. The electronic safety catch which normally engages when the weapon is not plugged into the armour's shoulder jams on, preventing the weapon from firing. A throw of Difficult, Electronic, Battledress, 2 minutes is required to locate and correct the fault.

[4] Mucky contacts. The contacts in the right and left shoulder of the armour into which a linked weapon plugs are necessarily exposed to the elements. If these become fouled, the electronic connections required may not happen when the weapon is thrown to the shoulder for a snap shot, and the weapon will not fire. There are three options at this point: use another weapon, clean the contacts or try and shoot lefthanded.

[5] Broken contacts. An incautious engagement of the weapon link or battle damage has damaged the connection. The weapon will not fire, and a workshop repair on Difficult, Electronic, Battledress, 10 minutes is required to repair the contacts.

[6] Link smashed. A hit in the shoulder has destroyed the link connection and it must be replaced. The weapon cannot be used.

Sanitary Facilities These systems deal with the waste products created by the human body, and their failure can be one of the most unpleasant experiences a battledress wearer can undergo. At certain times, the experience can be even worse for female soldiers. The repairs are invariably messy and awkward.

[1-3] Minor. The facilities simply stop operating; the wearer must "hold on" until they can emerge from the armour. Throw Routine, Battledress, Electronic, 5 minutes to repair the unit.

[4-5] Major; wetback. The facilities fail, and wastes start to "seep" into the armour. Upon emerging from the armour, a full cleaning is required, and a throw of Routine, Battledress, Electronic, 10 minutes to repair the fault.

[6] Catastrophic. The storage unit dumps back into the armour. In Zero-G environments this is really hazardous, as blobs of liquid drift randomly around inside the suit and can drown the wearer if enough congregates in the helmet. Cleaning the suit takes at least a day. The waste storage/reclaim unit must be replaced entire (a standard vacc suit unit will fit).

Add-on This only applies if the suit is fitted with add-on backpack/belt pack equipment. Grav packs, ECM units and battle computers are good examples. In the case of grav packs, all field repair tasks are one level harder and Fateful if the pack is being used at the time, as the wearer is probably plunging out of the sky whilst trying to fix the fault...

[1] The add-on goes off-line and stops operating. Simple, Battledress, (relevant skill), 10 seconds to spot the problem and get it going again.

[2-3] Intermittent - The add-on flips on and off - loose connection. Routine, Battledress, Electronics OR (relevant skill), 20 seconds to find and rectify.

[4-5] Failure - Add-on fails completely. Repair is a workshop job, requiring Difficult, Battledress, (relevant skill), (Average: Mechanical, Electronic), 1 hour, appropriate spares and a full toolkit.

[6] Catastrophic - Total failure of add-on. There is no chance of repairs, the unit is burned out and must be replaced.

General Systems See GENERAL SYSTEMS location table.

ARMS

[1-2] Minor hole, patch on Routine, Battledress OR Vacc Suit, Dexterity, 10 seconds, Fateful.

[3-4] Major hole, requires Difficult, Battledress OR Vacc, Dexterity, 20 seconds, Fateful to patch.

[5] Enormous hole, one try only allowed at Difficult, Battledress OR Vacc, Dexterity, 20 seconds, Fateful; if this fails, treat as Catastrophic below.

Built in weaponry Some armours have light weapons, usually lasers, built into the right arm. If the right arm is hit, a fault may develop in the weapon.

[1] Intermittent. The weapon may or may not (50%) fire when required. Throw Routine, Battledress, Electronic, 5 minutes to repair.

[2] Misaligned. The weapon has been jarred in its mountings and no longer points where the sights indicate. The wearer will not be able to hit what he aims at. If he persists in shooting, the referee must determine randomly what he does hit. Calibrating sights is a complex business; it requires a firing range rated for the weapon and a throw on Routine, (Weapon Skill), Dexterity, 10 minutes.

[3] Power failure. Power to the weapon fails. Throw Difficult, Battledress, Electronic to trace and rectify the fault.

[4] Random fire. The weapon's trigger circuit jams on, and the weapon fires once a round until disconnected - at whatever the character points at. Disconnect on Routine, Battledress, Electronic, 10 seconds, Fateful (fumble means character has shot himself trying to disconnect), repair problem on Difficult, Battledress, Electronic, 10 minutes.

[5-6] Complete failure. The weapon will not operate, and requires workshop repairs. Throw Difficult, Electronic, (relevant skill), 30 minutes to fix it.

Control Panel The left arm of each battledress has a small panel of controls. These are quite delicate. Throw 1D locations and sublocations from scratch, and affect all as follows:

[1-3] Affected feature continues to operate as currently set; it cannot be stopped. If the feature is LS this isn't too bad, but if it is (say) LI visor and someone turns the lights on, the results are uncomfortable. Throw Difficult, Electronic, Battledress, 1 minute for EACH feature to repair the controls.

[4-5] Affected feature stops operating and cannot be turned back on. Throw Difficult, Electronic, Battledress, 1 minute for EACH feature to repair the controls.

[6] Affected feature goes "berserk" and starts operating randomly (referee's discretion). The throw to repair the controls must be modified by what else the armour is trying to do at the time.

Snap-on pockets These are the extra pouches that attach to armour, providing extra carrying space for equipment. Unfortunately, they are not armoured, and can easily be damaged or destroyed by attacks that leave the wearer unharmed. The results of this vary according the contents of the pockets.

[1-2] Pocket opens and contents fall out. Throw Routine, Intelligence, (Forward Observer OR Recon OR similar) to notice the sound of them falling. Task is Difficult if travelling in noisy vehicle, Formidable if in a gun battle; make it one level easier if aural enhancement is being used.

[3-4] Pocket drops off. Use the same throws as above to notice the event. Throw Routine, Battledress, Dexterity to reattach; failure indicates the pocket is damaged and cannot be reattached.

[5] Pocket destroyed. Unless more fragile than average, the contents are basically unharmed, and are dropped (see above).

[6] Pocket and contents destroyed. A bullet or similar has hit the pocket and it and its contents are destroyed. If the contents are grenades or explosives, sympathetic detonation is at the referee's option.

Joint failure One joint in the arm structure has developed a fault. Do not confuse this with Servo Failure - see GENERAL SYSTEMS. Select from: Fingers, wrist (hinge/rotate), elbow, shoulder.

[1-2] The joint is stiff and sticky. Apply a -1 DM to actions requiring precision of the arm affected. The joint can be freed up on Routine, Battledress, Mechanical, 10 minutes.

[3] The joint develops an atmosphere leak. Treat as a small puncture (qv) but make the patching roll one level harder due to the flexing of the patched surface.

[4] Minor jam. The joint sticks, and can only be moved with difficulty. The arm armour must be removed for repair, and a throw of Difficult, Battledress, Mechanical, 10 minutes is required to fix the fault and free the joint.

[5] Major joint jam. The joint sticks, and cannot be moved The arm armour must be removed for repair, and a throw of Difficult, Battledress, Mechanical, 30 minutes is required to fix the fault and free the joint.

[6] Catastrophic joint jam. The joint jams during a powered manoeuvre, and the servos distort the moving parts badly, crushing the appropriate part of the arm. Throw 2D damage to the arm. The joint cannot be moved. Some new parts are required, and a workshop job on Difficult, Battledress, Mechanical, 1 hour is needed to replace them.

General Systems See GENERAL SYSTEMS location table.

LEGS

[1-2] Minor hole, patch on Routine, Battledress OR Vacc Suit, Dexterity, 10 seconds, Fateful.

[3-4] Major hole, requires Difficult, Battledress OR Vacc, Dexterity, 20 seconds, Fateful to patch.

[5] Enormous hole, one try only allowed at Difficult, Battledress OR Vacc, Dexterity, 20 seconds, Fateful; if this fails, treat as Catastrophic below.

[3-4] Pocket drops off. Use the same throws as above to notice the event. Throw Routine, Battledress, Dexterity to reattach; failure indicates the pocket is damaged and cannot be reattached.

[5] Pocket destroyed. Unless more fragile than average, the contents are basically unharmed, and are dropped (see above).

Joint failure One joint in the leg structure has developed a fault. Do not confuse this with Servo Failure - see GENERAL SYSTEMS. Select from: Toes, ankle (hinge/rotate), knee, hip.

[1-2] The joint is stiff and sticky. Apply a -1 DM to actions requiring precision of the leg affected. The joint can be freed up on Routine, Battledress, Mechanical, 10 minutes.

[3] The joint develops an atmosphere leak. Treat as a small puncture (qv) but make the patching roll one level harder due to the flexing of the patched surface.

[4] Minor jam. The joint sticks, and can only be moved with difficulty. A throw of Difficult, Battledress, Mechanical, 10 minutes is required to fix the fault and free the joint.

[5] Major joint jam. The joint sticks, and cannot be moved. If the leg armour is removed for repair, a throw of Difficult, Battledress, Mechanical, 30 minutes is required to fix the fault and free the joint. If repaired in situ, the task becomes Formidable.

[6] Catastrophic joint jam. The joint jams during a powered manoeuvre, and the servos distort the moving parts badly, crushing the appropriate part of the leg. Throw 2D damage to the arm. The joint cannot be moved. Some new parts are required, and a workshop job on Difficult, Battledress, Mechanical, 1 hour is needed to replace them.

General Systems See GENERAL SYSTEMS location table.

GENERAL SYSTEMS

For these results, the referee should determine which part of the armour is affected depending upon the reason for making the malfunction roll.

Servo Failure The servos are the whole core of battledress's superiority to combat armour. They provide the strength and endurance enhancements, and allow the use of very high recoil weapons. They are also very complex and delicate machines. In all the below cases, a servo can be completely disconnected on Difficult, Battledress, Electronic; this allows movement of the affected area even if a servo is permanently knackered, although without strength enhancement.

[1] Minor judder. Apply a -1 DM to all skill throws affected by the area of the body, and to long-range weapon fire (due to vibration). A field repair can be made on Difficult, Battledress, Electronic, 5 minutes; a workshop makes the throw Routine.

[2] Major judder. Apply a -4 DM to all skill throws affected by the area of the body, and to all weapon fire (due to vibration). A field repair can be made on Difficult, Battledress, Electronic, 10 minutes; a workshop makes the throw Routine.

[3] Tetany - one area. One area (head/neck, waist, an arm, a leg) of the armour seizes up as the servos lock solid. If an arm is affected, the armour must be removed to make repairs. If a leg is affected, the character will probably fall over - Difficult, Dexterity to remain upright (Formidable if character was on the move at the crucial moment). A field repair can be made on Difficult, Battledress, Electronic, 20 minutes; a workshop makes the throw Routine.

[4] Convulsions - one area. One area starts randomly and violently thrashing about. Referee's option as to whether anyone gets hit by a flying limb (1D damage as club); wearer must throw Difficult, Strength each round to avoid 1D damage due to pulled & torn muscles. Throw Difficult, Battledress, Dexterity to turn off the renegade servos. A field repair is not possible; a workshop repair requires Difficult, Battledress, Average: (Electronic, Mechanical), 1 hour.

[5] Tetany - complete. The whole armour seizes solid. The wearer is completely helpless, and can only operate his radio and other voice-controlled equipment. Somebody else has to let him out (Routine, Battledress, Mechanical). A field repair is not possible; a workshop repair requires Difficult, Battledress, Average: (Electronic, Mechanical), 1 hour.

[6] Convulsions - complete. The entire armour starts to twitch, leap and thrash randomly - an awe-inspiring sight. The wearer is completely helpless, and takes 2D damage per round from stretched and torn muscles and bruising. Anyone brave enough to try to catch and disconnect the armour must throw three tasks each round: Difficult, Strength, Dexterity, to keep up with the armour as it flops around; Difficult, Dexterity, Electronic to try to switch off the power; and Difficult, Dexterity to avoid being clobbered for 1D of damage by a flying appendage. If the hero is wearing battledress himself, Battledress skill may be applied to all three tasks as well as the stated skills, and the damage is reduced to 1d2. A field repair is not possible; a workshop repair requires Difficult, Battledress, Average: (Electronic, Mechanical), 1 days. The victim himself usually spends this time in hospital.

Software The Battledress's onboard computer (not to be confused with a battle computer add-on) controls every facet of the armour's operation. Throw another malfunction from scratch; this has been caused by a software problem. After the malfunction is "cured", the computer must be reprogrammed on (level), Computer, Education, 10 minutes otherwise the same thing will happen again - immediately !.

[1-2] Level = Routine

[3-4] Level = Difficult

[5] Level = Formidable

[6] Software corrupted; replacement required.

IR cloaking failure Part of the Battledress's concealment package is the IR chameleon equipment. This setup checks the ambient heat and adjusts the armour's heat signature to match this as much as possible. A malfunction generally indicates that this process has failed, producing a "plume" of heat exhaust, easily visible to IR sensors. Apply the severity roll as a positive DM to the Sensor Operator throw of an observer.

Communication Breakdown The actual communication unit has broken down. If the suit is fitted with a selection of communicators, select one at random.

[1-2] Station settings have slipped. Throw Routine, Communications, Education to retune the channel involved.

[3] Intermittent. The communicator affected works on-and-off. When transmitting, the wearer may not be aware of how much of his message is getting through. Throw Difficult, Communication, Intelligence for the listener to understand the message; a fumble indicates the wrong message is received. Throw Difficult, Communications, Electronic, 5 minutes to locate and repair the fault.

[4] Interference from other battledress facilities. The signal is corrupted by "noise" from the servo motors, etc. Treat as Intermittent, above. Throw Difficult, Communications, Electronic, 5 minutes to locate and repair the fault.

[5] White noise. The communicator is generating a constant signal across all frequency bands, analogous to "white noise" It is very easy for someone with the right equipment to pick up and therewith locate the armour's wearer, as this effect is very similar to a homing beacon. Throw Difficult, Communications, Electronic, 10 minutes to locate and repair the fault.

[6] Complete failure. The communicator has failed; repair is not possible and the unit must be replaced.

Chameleon Surface Failure Most combat suits have chameleon surfaces. These will show a particular colour scheme, and provide camouflage - within reason. A failure generally indicates that an inappropriate colour scheme is shown, varying in severity from desert brown in a jungle to a flashing fluorescent orange/green in a night city area. Apply the severity throw as a positive DM to the wearer being spotted. Throw Difficult, Battledress, Electronic, 2 minutes to control the display.

Standard Gait Malfunction The Standard Gait is a program within the armour's computer, whereby the armour can effectively walk by itself, taking account of terrain, etc, and maintain a steady direction - a sort of primitive autopilot. The operator does not need to do anything to control the armour, and may even sleep. A failure in this system can be quite a problem; if the feature is not in use at the time, the fault may only become apparent when it is engaged.

[1] Uncomfortable. The gait is bumpy or irregular, and the ride is not pleasant. Readjust on Routine, Battledress, Education, 10 minutes.

[2] Pull to the side. Like the proverbial shopping trolley, the armour goes slightly to the left or right of where it was set to go. This is insidious; it may be many miles before the wearer realises he is going the wrong way. Throw Difficult, Navigation, Intelligence to realise (becomes Routine after 1 hour), and Difficult, Electronic, Battledress, 10 minutes to recalibrate.

[3] Speed aberration. The speed of the gait is unpredictable; it may take hours to do a mile, or start unexpectedly running and go past its' objective. Readjust on Routine, Battledress, Electronic, 10 minutes.

[4] Walks in circles. A more severe case of Pull to the side. The armour walks in a circle 3D metres across whenever standard gait is engaged. Throw Difficult, Electronic, Battledress, 10 minutes to recalibrate.

[5] Complete failure. The standard gait does not operate when requested. Throw Difficult, Electronic, Battledress, 10 minutes to locate and repair the fault.

[6] Takes over. The standard gait engages itself at the most embarrassing moment possible. The armour (and hapless occupant) walks decisively away in a random direction at a random speed. Referee's option as to what or who may or may not be in its' path. Throw Difficult, Battledress, Education to stop the armour and Formidable, Battledress, Electronic to find the fault and cure it. If this throw is only good enough to make Difficult, the problem goes away but reappears at a later random time.

Heat exchanger failure The heat exchanger monitors and controls the heat level within the armour. The danger of a malfunction depends to some extent on the external temperature. To repair the heat exchanger requires a throw of Difficult, Battledress, Mechanical, 5 minutes.

[1] Mild elevation. The temperature rises by about 5 degrees.

[2] Mild decrease. The temperature falls by about 5 degrees.

[3] Major elevation. The temperature rises by about 20 degrees.

[4] Major decrease. The temperature falls by about 20 degrees.

[5] Catastrophic decrease. The temperature falls by about 50 degrees, or until level with the outside area if that is higher. Take 2D per round until fixed or armour is shed.

[6] Catastrophic elevation. The temperature rises 50 degrees. Take 3D per round until armour is fixed or shed.